Draw Premier League: Arsenal 0 - 0 Newcastle | Tuesday 3rd, January | KO: 19:45 BST Sky Sports

This is arguably the most difficult fixture in the league atm so we have to be at our very best. But they're essentially beatable. We're not the same team they slapped 3-0 at the backend of last season. We've taken giant strides since then. Thankfully, this fixture is at home.

Newcastle are a good team but with all due respect, were levels above them.

Their tactics have always been to suck teams in, force them to make mistakes am and then break break forward with pace. But we're a very technically secure team. I back us not to lose possession in dangerous areas tbh.

Prediction

Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle

 

[db10_therza]

Youre saying Ødegaard was too dumb to be in space, you missed my point that the only reason that Xhaka got the ball in space was because Zinchenko was such a good passer and he happens to play on the left. Ødegaard was in space several times but nobody able to find him other than when Partey was on the ball.

Nah Zinny at this point in the game was operating as straight up CM. Ødegaard could also have undercut whenever Saka had the ball and was getting double teamed but he only did it once. He just didn’t have his best game. I don’t understand why you guys are turning this in to Xhaka thing.

 

[Riou]

Your first mistake is thinking that Geordies feel embarrassment. If they did, you'd never hear them speak. Those fat f*cks are the toast of their little inbred village because they have double digit teeth.

Making fun of someone's accent, to a dude that is from freakin' Belfast ..

 

[Batman]

I’m not sure how you’re assuming that I’m expecting us to bottle the league. Where have I mentioned that???? I think you’re clearly jumping to conclusions.

City lost against Brentford before the WC and I was one of those that said that’s the type of way or “blueprint” you need to play against City and get success at the Etihad instead of going toe to toe with them.

I'm not saying you personally. There were several pundits going with the blueprint narrative as well. My point is that we didn't even lose the match and should have won the match. Our football didn't suffer, we dominated possession and it took the dark arts, referees and our own profligacy in front of the goal for them to get a point, therefore I have no real worry about less talented teams than Newcastle trying to employ the same pathetic tactics because they are less suited to do so and it was more a case of us not winning today than them preventing us winning.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

As frustrating as this was it isn't the end of the world. Think we should have won and would have with just a bit better finishing. We also need to learn how to handle very good teams playing this defensively against us. Good thing is Newcastle didn't create much and the draw was never really in danger from our side.

I do struggle with the referee though. Not sure how he managed to card Xhaka for his foul. And he was clearly not going to give us a penalty unless it was 100% clear he had no other option and as our penalty shouts weren't that clear he was never going to give us those.

 

[db10_therza]

Out of interest who said Ødegaard wasnt the weakest link?

Not explicitly but people have said that we need to upgrade Xhaka based on todays performance in this thread. I could also be guilty of reading too much between the lines tbf

 

[Macho]

I agree, he wasn’t at his best. I just don’t understand how anyone can have watched todays game and not come to the conclusion that the weakest link today was Ødegaard. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ødegaard but these games happen. I’m not criticising him. It’s calm. But I’m starting to understand why @Nacho is always saying he wishes people here were consistent in their criticism of our players.

It was a tough game.

Newcastle's defensive record makes sense, plus they treated the game like a cup final on top of it. Not the best game I've seen our forwards play but whatever.

Howe set them up well and the ref didn't help one bit.

 

[TakeChillPill]

Shows how much we need a player like mudruyk if we had him on the left today would've taken the pressure off saka.

 

[Monstar-Gunn4r]

Not explicitly but people have said that we need to upgrade Xhaka based on todays performance in this thread. I could also be guilty of reading too much between the lines tbf

I think we should upgrade on Xhaka previously but I didnt see anyone mention it in the thread, weird

 

[db10_therza]

Such a frustrating game to watch. I think people are really overhyping Howe a lot. His team is nothing special. Extremely physical side with a high intensity press and players not allowing any time on the ball for the oposition. By the way our best chances were in the first 30 mins while they were trying their press.We got out 3,4 times but the final pass ,decisions today were really poor. End of first half and all second half they parked the bus and hoped for some random clearence.

What you saw today is not how Eddie sets up Newcastle to play in any other game tbf

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Mikel is still angry he right about we should have awarded penalty but just need to forget it and focus on getting points against Sp**s

 

[db10_therza]

I think we should upgrade on Xhaka previously but I didnt see anyone mention it in the thread, weird

I’m very protective of Xhaka lol. Not quite at @BergMan levels but I hold my own

 

[yorch44]

I didn’t realise our next 2 games are Sp**s away where we always lose and utd

That's why we need reinforcement ASAP

 

[Monstar-Gunn4r]

Nah Zinny at this point in the game was operating as straight up CM. Ødegaard could also have undercut whenever Saka had the ball and was getting double teamed but he only did it once. He just didn’t have his best game. I don’t understand why you guys are turning this in to Xhaka thing.

Yeah and Zinny was fantastic at it. Saka delivering the ball is a very different position to Ødegaard is very different from Zinny delviering the ball to Xhaka from the left side of midfield. I dont have time to go watch the match again but Im not sure where Ødegaard was standing if Saka was 'double teamed' and he wasnt available for a pass while standing on the right side of the field in the final third.

We'll just agree to disagree.

Fk Newcastle those ****

 

[bastun]

What you saw today is not how Eddie sets up Newcastle to play in any other game tbf

Thats a big compliment for us in that case. Teams are afraid to play their game.

 

[yorch44]

Mikel is still angry he right about we should have awarded penalty but just need to forget it and focus on getting points against Sp**s

Nah he needs to say FA to fack off give that ref the punch

 

[Riou]

It's our trophy, but we should sack off the FA cup next week...can always win it next year!

Wouldn't even show up at Oxford, just get auto eliminated, the league is too important right now.

Would still keep the Europa as a priority though, especially if we sign some players this window...this group deserves at least one trophy for their efforts this season.

 

[A_G]

@MaraDon

 

[RookieGoon]

These refs deserve saudi infidelity punishments.. not even unexpected that the "traffickers and murderers" (quotations for false sense of security) leave with a point.. gabby choked by his own jersey.. obvious hand ball..... that ref eating good tonight....

 

[Synical]

"Frustrating" sums up this game.
Urrgh, I'm off to bed

 

[TakeChillPill]

Newcastle literally fought for their lives, I'm so impressed by them. In seasons gone by we would've lost to a cheap goal in a game like this, but we didn't.

I felt zinchenko was the weak link today he kept slowing down the play, where in actual fact we needed intensity. Tierney could've helped martinelli a lot more.